


SuperMax

by LucasGreenX23



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game), Superman - All Media Types
Genre: Aliens, Alternate Universe - Different Powers, Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Angst, Conspiracy, Cute, Dogs, Double Life, F/F, Flying, Friendship/Love, Krypto - Freeform, Max Has Different Powers, Max Wears Glasses, Minor Maxine "Max" Caulfield/Kate Marsh, Mother-Daughter Relationship, No Rewind Powers, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Powers Run In the Family, Romantic Friendship, Sort-of crossover, Superman-like Powers, What-If, You can't save everyone, pricefield
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-27
Updated: 2019-07-11
Packaged: 2020-05-19 14:48:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,725
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19359175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LucasGreenX23/pseuds/LucasGreenX23
Summary: "Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird. It's a plane. No, it's... A Hipster with freckles?"All her life, Maxine 'Max' Caulfield has lived life under the radar. Never standing out, content to merely blend in and carve out a place for herself in a world of "Normies".Now, on the eve of her eighteenth birthday, Max returns to her childhood hometown to attend the prestigious Blackwell Academy. But all is not as it seems in the seemingly humble corner of American suburbia; secrets pass like currency, corruption festers from the powers that be, and the name 'Rachel Amber' haunts the town like a restless spirit.In a time of uncertainty, the people of Arcadia Bay need hope.What can a shy, mousy, and by all accounts, 'normal' girl like Max do to help?But Max Caulfield is far from normal.Max Caulfield has superpowers.





	1. Moving Day

**XXX**

A big smile spread across Max Caulfield’s lips as she collapsed, arms spread, upon her new satin bed sheets. This was it; months of hard work, scrimping and saving, and some gentle nagging for good measure had all led up to this. Blackwell Academy. Her dream school.

A gentle sigh escaped her; all her extra-curricular activities and putting her “best foot forward” had brought her here. For the first time in her young life, Max felt ‘at peace’. The survival of the fittest nature of succeeding in today’s fast-paced society no longer looming over her like some foreboding omen of things to come. The extra effort had paid off, and now she could reap the rewards.

‘Content’

That would be the word to describe Max Caulfield’s world.

In the here and now, she was content.

It had taken Max and her parents the better part of a three-day weekend to condense the entirety of Max’s bedroom into half a dozen cardboard boxes, drive the near two-hundred and fifty miles from Seattle, and unpack the lot into a serviceable ‘home away from home’. Though the added delay was more down to the blossoming woman’s own indecisiveness over what constituted an “essential” over the many keepsakes she’d be forced to leave behind. It was a daunting task, to say the least. Max had never left the safe, comfortable routine of her home life before then. Independence sounded like a dream, but in stepping out into the great wide world of adulthood, Max couldn’t help but contemplate with some melancholy, that she would be leaving an important part of herself behind.

As she’d waved goodbye to her Seattle home one last time, so too did she wave goodbye to the last vestiges of her formative years. Her childhood preserved in picture frames and dusty mementos wistfully looked upon by a passing elder in remembrance of the little one who’d truly made their house, a home.

That part of Max’s life was over, now… now was the start of a whole new adventure.

“Make room for mommy.”

Giggling under her breath, Max swiftly withdrew her arm, seconds before her mom flopped down beside her.

“Ohh~ these new satin sheets are wonderful. Text me where you brought them, sweetheart, I may have to go shopping for a set when we get home.”

Vanessa Caulfield was considered, by both family and casual acquaintances alike, as the single most genuine person one could ever hope to meet. She wore her opinions openly on one sleeve and her former party-girl days on the other, and despite having mellowed considerably traversing the great peaks of marriage and childbirth, the charismatic real-estate broker made no attempt to hide who she was behind the kiddie gloves and expertly applied make-up.

And her daughter loved her to pieces.

If anyone were to ask Max to define ‘Beauty’, Max would offer one simple word. “Mom”.

To Max, her mom was her confidant. Her friend. And on those frequent incidents when the sneers and jeers of the bullies became too much, a shoulder to cry on. Another factor when it came to changing schools in another state.

“I’m gonna miss you, soo~ much, my little ladybug.”

Vanessa rolled over and threw her arms around her daughter. Max snuggled in and did the same. While she had been all too eager to leave her childhood back home, being hugged by her mom made her feel like a big kid again, and for the moment that was just fine.

“I’ll miss you too, mom.”

Vanessa kissed her daughter’s forehead and ran her fingers through Max’s auburn locks.

“Sweetie, you can call me whenever you want, day or night.”

“I know.”

“If you ever want to come home and visit, we’ll be here in an instant.”

“Mom~”

“In fact, why don’t you come home tonight? We’ll drop you off tomorrow.”

“Vanessa, let the girl breath.”

Ryan Caulfield strolled through the door carrying the final few boxes in his mighty arms, kicking the door closed with the back of his foot. Whilst his wife may have been a slender darling, the patriarch of the family was a heavy set, teddy bear of a man. A physically imposing yet gentle giant one might say.

Vanessa merely shrugged her husband off and gripped her daughter even tighter.

“My little honeybee’s leaving the hive.”

“I thought I was a ladybug?”

“Don’t correct mommy sweetheart, she’s sending you all the love and good vibes she can give.”

Max rolled her eyes at her mom’s embarrassing affections, but considering they’d be headed back to Seattle without her soon, she could stomach it for a little while longer.

Considering she didn’t officially start until the following week, her parents had been adamant that she remain in Seattle so they could spend as much time together as possible before they had to face the reality that they’d be apart for months at a time.

It was a daunting prospect to be sure. But Max had argued that she’d like the extra time to decorate, familiarise herself with the town she hadn’t seen in years, and potentially make some friends before the new school year began.

Reluctantly, Vanessa released her hostage and paused to marvel at her new living space.

“You know, I’m jealous sweetheart. I really am. All this space, it’s like a blank canvas for you to do whatever.”

 Ryan took a quick swig of his water bottle before pouring the remains into his daughter’s plant pot.

“Don’t forget to water your planet sweetie, she’s a thirsty girl. Especially in this heat.”

“Her name’s Lisa, Dad.”

Vanessa scoffed at her husband and shook her head.

“ _Tsk-Tsk,_ it’s important to address a lady by her proper name, darling.”

Ryan feigned dismay, running his meaty digits through his beard.

“Oh dear, I beg your pardon, Miss Lisa Caulfield. I do sincerely apologize.”

Max and her mother shared a laugh as Ryan stared at the plant as if awaiting some form of response. Max pushed herself off the bed and put her arms around her dad’s waist.

“I think she forgives you, Daddy.”

Ryan wrapped his strong arms around both his daughter and his wife and chuckled at the sheer ridiculousness of it all. His daughter really was leaving home for the first time, and here they were, laughing and joking like this wasn’t some massive deviation from their comfortable family structure.

This moment could be the last time any of them would be able to hug and laugh like this for a long time. Or at least, long for them.

But as much as he’d love to keep his daughter home, where he could protect her, in the end, this was his daughter’s decision. And he and his wife would just have to accept that. In a way, he was proud of her taking this sort of initiative and stepping out on his own, it made him more assured that he’d done his job as a father. Though that didn’t mean he couldn’t perhaps coax his daughter to a more familiar location closer to home, should things not work out somewhere down the line.

“Who names a plant anyway?”

Vanessa kissed her husband’s cheek, smoothing her daughter’s messy hair with a stray hand.

“Our girl does, darling.”

Max peered up at her dad with her bright shiny eyes and offered a cheeky smirk.

“I do, dad.”

Ryan just laughed and ruffled Max’s hair, earning a huff from his wife in the process. She might be on the verge of womanhood, but that look in his daughter’s eyes let him know that she was still his little girl deep down. And that was enough for him to accept her wish to be here, at least for now.

The trio settled into the hug a little while longer, gradually the laughter and general frivolity of it all, gave way to an almost uncomfortable silence.

All three of them knew their time together was dwindling by the second. As unwilling as either parent was to leave their pride and joy behind, the stubborn world of work and commitments waited for no one. Ryan had an early shift the following morning and Vanessa had a branch to run; it was already approaching five in the afternoon if the orange light through the blinds was any indication.

Begrudgingly, Max stepped away from the hug and pulled her polaroid camera free of the bag beside her bed.

“Smile you guys.”

Ryan and Vanessa posed as Max snapped a quick memento. The silence was no less deafening whilst Max shook her picture into clarity, each of them wanted something to break up the building tension but none knew the right words to say.

Absentmindedly, Vanessa thumbed through one of Max’s photo albums sticking out of an open box. One photograph caught her attention, hanging loose ready to fall out at any moment.

It was of a young Max, around the age of six, dressed in a white sweater within cookie costume for Halloween one wonderful year long since passed. A slightly taller blonde girl held little Max close, sandwiched together and dressed the same. Little Chloe Price. A name Vanessa hadn’t thought about in years.

Once upon a time, in a bygone age, the Price’s and the Caulfield’s had been thick as thieves. The children especially. Chole had been Max’s ‘BFF’ since preschool. The fair-haired dynamo tackled Max on her first day in a mad rush of excitement at meeting another pirate fanatic, thanks in large part to Max’s pirate decorated backpack, and suffice it to say, the rough and tumble tornado of terror stuck to Max like glue ever since. The quiet reserved girl was brought out of her shell, and the loud rambunctious rascal had someone to help keep her feet on the ground.

Or at least… she had.

The past five years had not been kind to Chloe.

Her father had died in a tragic car crash, and on the day of his funeral, Max had been forced to move away at her parent’s behest to Seattle. Max had always wanted to leave the shores of Arcadia Bay and sail forth into the exciting uncharted waters of the big city… but not without her Captain.

Not without Chloe.

And now, here she was, five years later and about to be without her parents or her best friend.

Karma is a cruel mistress.

In the five years she’d been gone, not once had Max spoken to her friend. Not a call, an email, or even a text! But what was she to do? Her friend’s father had died, and she’d moved away; what could she possibly say to comfort her friend, over the phone, that would have been enough to calm the unimaginable loneliness she must’ve felt? Perhaps just the act itself would’ve been enough?

Max was a great many things, but a time-traveler was not one of them, so she could never really know. A pity, lord knows she could use such a gift as of late.

Sadly, as is the case on and off the paneled pages, there’s never a superhero around when you need one.

Vanessa sighed and reached into the box retrieving a roll of tape, standing up and biting off a piece, she proceeded to tape the picture to the wall next to the door.  

“What’re you doing, Mom?”

Max curiously peaked around her mom’s arm. Her shoulders sagged when she noticed the picture. That picture had been an accomplice in eating up Max’s limited packing time back home. For a solid hour, she'd mentally argued for and against even bringing the photograph in the first place. At first, the concept of meeting Chloe again had been one of, if not ‘the’ defining factor in her working to attend Blackwell Academy.

Just meeting up out of the blue and hugging things out, as if the past five years of silence were nothing more than another of their silly childhood squabbles, where ultimately both parties would get teary-eyed and neither could apologize fast enough.  

But as the deadline towards moving day drew closer and closer, the more Max’s anxiety wormed its way to the forefront of her thoughts. So much time had passed. Was there even a friendship left to salvage? Did Chloe move on? Lord knows, she had every right to.

“Chloe…” Max muttered to herself.

“Sweetheart, have you thought about what to say when you see her again?”

Max sheepishly turned away, slumping down upon the futon next to her Dad and resting her head in her hands.

“I don’t know. I thought I’d figure something out down the line. But now I’m here, my stomachs full of screaming butterflies.”

Ryan patted his daughters back and shook his heavy head. Vanessa followed suit, taking Max’s hand in hers and rubbing it soothingly. The whole move from Arcadia Bay to Seattle had been a spur of the moment decision by the pair of them, which hadn’t left much wiggle room for goodbyes and getting their affairs in order. The unexpected passing of William Price, Chloe’s father, and a beloved family friend had been salt in an all too fresh wound. If only remaining, even for a short while longer, had been an option.

Unfortunately, circumstances dictated that the family needed to hasten their departure, even at the cost of leaving on the day of William's funeral. Laughter and smiles became a rarity amongst the Caulfield clan for the succeeding months, heaven knows what such a traumatic series of events might’ve had on poor Chloe.

Vanessa huffed and mentally swore at herself; this wasn’t the way either she or her husband wanted to send off their daughter into the next phase of her life. A remedy for this situation was required, today needed to end on a happier note.

Luckily, she’d come prepared.

“Sweetheart… there’s something I’ve been meaning to give to you, for a while now actually, something I made for your birthday… but I think now’s as good a time as any.”

Max perked up ever so slightly, looking at her Mom with curious eyes. Her husband appeared intrigued as well, though she had a sneaking suspicion he knew what this gift was.

“Really? W-what is it?”

Vanessa smirked and gently tapped her little girl on the nose.

“You’ll see; but first the three of us need to drive a little way out of town, find somewhere a little more… secluded.”

Experience had taught Max that traveling somewhere secluded with her family could only mean one thing. Her nerves were already worked into a frenzy, the last thing she wanted was to end the day with her parents by embarrassing herself. And yet, the notion of an early birthday present strengthened what little resolve she had left to at least, follow, and see what her parents had to show her.

Begrudgingly, despite dreading what the next hour might entail, Max nodded and agreed to go.

“Oh, and one more thing Sweetie.”

Max turned to her dad, only to find something placed gently on her face.

Her rimless glasses.

“You forgot to put them on again, kiddo.”

Max blushed and straightened her glasses; over the past five years, she’d worked to turn putting on her glasses, into a part of her daily routine. But like any teenager, absent-minded mistakes happened.

“Sorry daddy, sometimes I forget they’re not on my face.”

She didn’t even need the glasses; they were only like costume jewelry.

But fooling others into thinking she needed them was… a necessity.

“It’s alright, Sweetie. Just please, try to remember from now on. We’re not gonna be here to remind you and… I couldn’t live with myself if anything happened to you.”

Max smiled and threw her arms around her dad’s neck, which he returned with gusto.

“I won’t forget daddy, I promise.”

Vanessa took in the sight with a warm smile and renewed vigor, more assured than ever with what they were about to do.

“Well then my darlings, shall we away?”

**XXX**

‘Why does it always rain on Tuesdays?’

For whatever reason, this query resonated with the mousey haired girl, as she nonchalantly sauntered down the long winding woodland path. A vast expanse of trees and shrubbery surrounded her as far as the eye could see, its natural monotony amended ever so slightly by the grey overcast on high.

She had no real destination in mind, nor for that matter, any indication as to why she was venturing through this apparently limitless expanse of woodland in the first place. All she knew was that her parents were waiting for her at the end.

Despite her… current attire… curiosity compelled her to persevere, who knew what awaited her ahead, the only way she’d find out was to carry on as she was.

‘This so humiliating!’ Max blushed, listening out for any sign of another living being. As if some invisible paparazzi might come bursting out of the undergrowth, camera in hand.

The light rain pattered against the leafy canopy, drizzling down across branches and bark, soaking the ground beneath her feet. Her body felt numb, almost ethereal, though she rationalized that down to her wonderings in the pouring rain. How odd then that she didn’t feel the slightest bit cold or damp.

The dim grey sky left the time of day ambiguous, and she wore no timekeeper on her person. Perhaps that was her purpose for journeying through this dense thicket of conifer. A tad anticlimactic, she thought, all this way in a silly get up, for a new watch? But then again, who knew what else lay in wait in the place beyond the pines.

The ground was eerily flat and spanned in all directions with no clear end in sight; browning pine needles littered the floor almost obscuring the path ahead, and yet she persevered, after all, what good could come from standing still? The day was pressing on, she assumed, and time and tide wait for no one.

It is a curious thing really, the ramblings of one’s subconscious during such rare moments of solitude. Not one sight or sound of another wayward soul. Not a fellow wanderer in all of Christendom. Naught but the mousey haired girl and the forest through which she did travel.

Perhaps it was an instinct that drove her, whatever the case may be, Max had always had some ingrained sense of where her family might be. Awkwardly put into words, she would liken such a feeling to that of a magnetic pull, gently guiding her home.

As the dense forest parted into a small open clearing, Max picked up on the unmistakable sounds of her parents conversing up ahead. Less than enthused about parading herself in front of her family in her current state of dress, Max swiftly dashed behind a large moss cover rock. Peeking her head out, Max spotted her father leaning against a tree, casual chatting with… her mom!

It wasn’t that she was there that bothered her, far from it, but rather the outfit she now adorned on her person.

Vanessa Caulfield had abandoned the outfit she’d worn throughout most of the day. Gone were her stylish boots, black jacket, and denim jeans. Even her hair scrunchie was gone.

In their place, Vanessa Caulfield wore a black long-sleeved body suit made of what Max could only assume was spandex or something of the like, strong-looking silver boots, a silver belt, and of all things a silver cape around her shoulders. The suit hugged and clung in all the right places, that coupled with her sudden change of hair, one could be forgiven for mistaking her for someone else entirely.

Max was speechless.

“I can’t believe you actually brought that old thing with you.”

Ryan was clearly bemused but with an obvious sense of humor about the whole affair.

“Darling, it’s a rite of passage. My mother did this with me. And her mother before her. And so on…”

“I get that part, but do the outfits need to be soo~ revealing.”

On that Max wholeheartedly agreed, the outfit left very little to the imagination, if it weren’t for a slightly thicker use of material around the chest and… the lower area, then it’d defeat the purpose of wearing clothes to begin with.

“We’ve gone over this before, anything we wear needs to be worn tight, really close to the body in case of… wait, hold on, this will be easier when we're all here.”

Max ducked behind her rock, but it was already too late, her mom knew she was there. She’d probably known exactly how far away she was the moment Max had finally worked up the courage to leave the car.

“Maxine, come on out sweetheart. There’s nothing to be embarrassed about, it’s only myself and your father for the next three miles.”

Max felt a small rush of relief, knowing she wasn’t about to be a candid photo in some sleazy tabloid rag. Though her feet refused to comply.

“I promise I won’t laugh, Kiddo. Believe me, I remember when your mother first showed me her costume. Lesson learned, never laugh when someone tells you they’re a superhero.”

Vanessa smirked at her husband and shot him a sultry wink.

“Especially not your fiancée.”

“Yeah, what she said.”

As the breeze picked up ever so slightly, Max felt the brush of the loose flapping material against the back of her legs. Resigning herself to her fate, with grim dignity, Max stepped out into the clearing.

“… Ta-da.”

Max hesitated to open her eyes, only doing so when the laughter she’d so readily expected did not come to pass.

On the contrary, now her father was the speechless one, running both hands through his hair as though he’d just witness something spectacular.

“Wow…  this, uhhh~, this is really happening.”

And as for her mother; Vanessa Caulfield had tears in her eyes.

“Oh. My. God. Sweetheart. You look beautiful.”

Max had not expected that. Nor having the wind knocked out of her as her mother, moving at a speed that defied the laws of physics, swiftly embraced her daughter. The only sign of where she’d once stood marked by a flurry of upturned leaves in her wake.  

“Whoa! My God honey, don’t do that… you know it makes me jumpy.”

Vanessa just laughed him off and took a few steps back to admire her little girl.

“Oh, really now darling. You’ve had well over twenty odd years to get used to it. Twice.”

“And yet it's still so, pardon my French, Goddamned incredible!”

“I’ll let that one slide this time, buster-brown. Now come look at your beautiful daughter.”

Max blushed and took a step back; she’d never considered herself beautiful in any way shape or form. Guys never hit on her. Max had always been too afraid to make the attempt herself. And now here she was, in the middle of the forest, wearing a ridiculous outfit, and her mom was crying over how beautiful she looked? It didn’t make sense.

Vanessa beamed as she took in her handiwork.

At first, starting which the same design as her own, a body spandex suit and cape, she’d toyed with the idea of a matching color scheme. Black and silver to really give the pair of them a much-needed dose of brand recognition. But the more she’d thought about it, she realized she was just being selfish on her part. Then she’d drawn up a few sketches for a grey and pink ensemble. That idea was dashed when she couldn’t quite find the right blend of color. Too much grey looked tacky. And an overabundance of Max’s favorite pink would’ve looked ridiculous in spandex. Then there were the legs of the outfit, she'd considered cutting them off and turning the suit into more of a long sleeved leotard, but with the way the suit hugged, no doubt it would lead to many an awkward flight, so she left them on.

Finally, she’d settled on blue and red. Bold, heroic, and above all else, visually striking. The red boots had been a challenge, not to mention costing her a pretty penny from her mothers’ inheritance, but she’d finally found a quality pair of high durable combat boots that slipped on and tightened at the sides. The hard part had been dying them red.

As for the rest of the suit…

Of all the questions Vanessa Caulfield had expected to answer, the next came allot sooner than she’d anticipated.

“Mom… Why does this outfit have underwear on the outside?!”

Vanessa couldn’t tell if her daughter was upset or bewildered, either way, she quickly picked up on a barely concealed snicker coming from her husband’s vicinity.

“A distraction sweetheart.”

Max’s confusion only increased.

“A distraction from what?”

“Follow me.”

Ryan did a quick side-step until his back was against a nearby tree. Despite everything, he never got tired of what he knew was coming next.

In his more somber moments, he still thought back to that amazing day when he’d proposed to his future wife and she’d bared her soul to him by revealing her most precious secret. A responsibility he would gladly safeguard with his life.

“Get ready, Kiddo. Your moms feeling playful.”

Max didn’t know what that meant… until she spotted her mom now standing in the middle of the clearing.

“Ohh~”

Max knew what she was about to do.

With a smile on her lips and a wink at her audience, Vanessa knelt…

And rocketed into the air!

The sheer force of speed blasted the fallen leaves like an explosion. The branches of surrounding treetops were forced backward as a rain of detached leaves of all different colors gently fell around them.

Max couldn’t keep the smile from her face, she’d never seen her mom really let loose with her gifts before. She’d always told Max to never talk about them outside of the house. And whenever the three of them took a day trip into the country so they could practice, they always took this slow and methodical approach to Max’s training, her mother always told her “safety comes first”.

Clearly, today would be a milestone in just how far she could push herself.

Ryan roared with laughter, throwing his fists into the air and applauding.

“Hahaha~ Fantastic, looking good honey!”

Max’s laughter joined her father’s in a magnificent chorus.

“Go on, Kiddo. Don’t keep her waiting. Go nuts.”

Max appeared in front of her father with a burst of incredible speed.

“Can I?”

“Just a sec.”

Ryan reached forward and removed the glasses from Max’s face. The ones she’d forgotten she was wearing.

“Glasses kid. Gotta remember…”

_“OkaythanksIloveyoubyeee~”_

The world around Max slowed to a crawl; this state of being was the farthest thing from difficult, quite the opposite, ever since that fateful day over five years ago, it had taken what she was sure were record amounts of concentration not to stay like this.

This… hyper-accelerated state, where everything around her moved so slowly she had once believed time had frozen, was Max’s world all the time. Her mother had taught her how to control this new state to where she appeared to be moving at the same pace as anyone else, although the effort it took to do so was a true test of Max’s patience. Willingly slowing herself to what felt like stagnation, just to hide her abilities from those who’d never be able to catch her if they tried.

But now, now she was finally free to cut loose.

Like the tightening of some powerful spring, Max knelt as her mother had done, feeling the spring within pushed down further and further until…

**XXX**

The sky thundered past, with both fists thrown skyward Max watched with unrepentant glee as the clouds parted and the sky opened into a vast ocean of stars.

Faster and higher, how much? Max didn’t care, she couldn’t concentrate through all the laughing. She was like a bird free of its cage, she wanted to fly and soar and never look back, behind her the clouds spread as far as the eye could see, like a massive blanket of cotton covering the earth. No doubt if she flew higher still, she’d be able to spot the curvature of the planet.

“MAX!”

A voice reached Max’s sensitive ears just in time, as the giggling form of Vanessa Caulfield tackled her in mid-air, the pair of them embracing and laughing unable to contain themselves.

The mother and her child clung to one another floating weightless above the world. When at last the two of them summoned enough resolve to control the sheer joy they both felt, Vanessa let go of her daughter and beckoned her to follow. Effortlessly gliding through the air like a dolphin through water, Max and her mother weaved and dodged around one another. A graceful ballet of flight and movement that only the two of them may share.

And it was then that it truly dawned on Max, just how truly blessed she really was. No one would or could ever experience what she and her mother shared, and that alone made her feel like the most special person in the whole world.

Or any other.

After a while, the pair descended through a parting in the clouds… beneath them sat Arcadia Bay in its entirety, the many flickering lights of the town and its people shone like tiny candles in the dark. And atop the tallest cliff, stood the lighthouse, a silent guardian watching over the town and guiding many a weary sailor home.

As they floated, taking in all the sights and sounds of which only the birds themselves might appreciate, Vanessa placed her hands on her daughter’s shoulders and gently turned her till they were face to face.

“Max… can you see your father?”

“… Huh? Wha?”

In her elated state of mind Max didn’t quite understand her mother at first, Vanessa clearly understood, so she calmly repeated herself.

“Can you see your father?”

Max understood her the second time; using her telescopic vision, the one talent that had taken her the longest to master, given the sheer magnitude of focus required to find the right distance and keep it there. Max calmly breathed in and out, steadying herself as she gazed beyond the forest, through the trees and branches, through every individual leaf and vein and cell. Straight to one of her most favorite people in the world, all those miles away.

“I see him, Mom, he’s… on his phone. I think he’s listening to music.”

Vanessa smiled and smoothed her daughter’s hair back to its proper tidy stature.

“Ahh, but do you know what song he’s playing?”

Max was confused, she knew her and her mother’s hearing stretched well beyond that of human comprehension. Yet, surrounded by all the other near infinite sounds of the world, even with her full concentration her father’s phone was little more than a tiny sound, lost in a sea of noise.

Max sighed and shook her head, dejected.

“Sorry mom, I can’t.”

Vanessa kissed her daughter's forehead and put an arm around her.

“That’s alright, Sweetheart. I can. It’s ‘November Rain’ by Guns N' Roses. It’s our song. I’ve listened out for your father’s unique heartbeat for so many years, that it’s become second nature to me.”

“Wow.”

“Wow indeed. And the same goes for you. The two of you are the most important people in my life. And someday, my treasure, someday you’ll find someone who you love so much… that you’ll be able to hear his heartbeat, no matter where he might be.”

Max playfully pushed herself away and did a backward roll on the spot.

“Mom~”

Vanessa grinned and shrugged.

“Or girl… whoever you one day give your heart to. I know you’ll love them enough to find them anywhere.” Lying back in mid-air, arms behind her head Vanessa beckoned for her daughter to join her. To which Max positioned herself the same. “Sweetie, do you remember five years ago?”

“You mean when I first got my… gifts?”

Vanessa nodded.

“I think about it more than you know. Your father and I came home from grocery shopping, and all the dogs in the neighborhood were barking up a storm. We stopped at the front door, and your father swore he could hear this faint high-pitched whine coming from inside the house.”

Max groaned into her hands. She remembered that terrifying day like it was yesterday.

“I remember, mom. I was in my room and just… out of nowhere, everything froze. The picture on the TV didn’t move. I ran to the bathroom sink, but the faucet didn’t run. I screamed out the window but no one outside was moving. I just crawled under the bed and screamed and cried.”

Sombrely, Vanessa laced her fingers through her daughters in solidarity. She understood all too well how terrifying such an experience was like.

“I knew immediately what happened, I dashed upstairs in time to see the faucet handle fly off the sink and become embedded in the wall. Your bedroom door had been ripped off its hinges. And the glass in your bedroom window explode… and there was my little girl, curled up under the bed…”

Vanessa had to stop and compose herself, gently Max rubbed her thumb over her mom’s hand which seemed to do the trick.

“I remember you were the only one acting normal, I was so scared I ran straight into your arms and wouldn’t let you go.”

“And I never wanted to, sweetheart. It was my fault; I knew our powers came with puberty. Its been that way for every woman on my side of the family, I guess yours just arrived a few months sooner then we’d expected. After that, I knew we needed to find a new place to live.”

“Why couldn’t you teach me here?”

“You know why, Sweetie. It wasn’t just adapting to your new abilities; it was about teaching you to blend into a crowd. To have these amazing powers and train you to manage them in a public setting. Like our enhanced hearing and smell, where better than a loud smelly city.”

Max remembered that part all too well, she could hear and smell everything, enflaming her senses day after day. When her new vision kicked in, she found herself staring straight through solid concrete into other people’s homes. And one time, when she became so frustrated that she couldn’t muster up the bravery to call Chloe, her glare somehow caused the phone to burst into flames.

And then there was her strength. Her incredible, deadly strength. It was the power that terrified Max the most. In the space of a day, Max became afraid to touch anything through fear that she might break it, or worse, someone.

It was one of the first things her mother had taught her to control, and Max thanked God every day that she had. Everything that Max touched, especially people required the gentlest touch possible. Because if either of them was to lose their temper for even a moment, one small act of carelessness could lead to disaster.

“Sweetie, you remember the rules for touch, right?”

Max smiled and nodded.

“Treat everything like an egg.”

“That’s my girl.”

There was nothing Max wanted more than to just fly away and go back to sky dancing with her mother, but there were, unfortunately, questions that had to be addressed.

“Hey mom, how did you know dad was right for you?”

Vanessa gazed longingly, and Max knew her eyes guided her back to the man she’d dedicated her life to.

“I didn’t. I just knew that I loved him, and I would trust him with my life. No one can tell you who’s the right person for you Sweetie, it’s something you feel.”

“But what if I choose wrong? What if I trust the wrong person? What if…”

Vanessa put a finger to Max’s lips and gently shushed her.

“I can’t answer that. You know how I feel about our most safely guarded secret. What I do know is this… I trust your father, and I trust you.”

It wasn’t quite the answer Max had hoped for, but her mother had said she trusted her, and that in of itself was a responsibility she would not squander.

Perking up, Vanessa flew a full three-sixty around her daughter, admiring her handiwork.

“So, Sweetie, how do you like your birthday suit.”

If Max had been drinking, she would’ve chocked then and there.

“Ewww, mom! Don’t call it that!”

“Okay okay, I’m sorry. But seriously, tell me what you think.”

Max pondered for a moment exactly what to say as she gave herself a quick look over.

“Okay, first off. Why the red underwear? Who am I trying to distract exactly?”

“Well, hopefully, no one will ever see you. The suit is just so you can go flying without anyone recognizing you. Hence the tomboy clothes and the glasses we bought you. But if by some happenstance someone did see you for whatever reason, that little design feature helps draw wandering eyes away from the face.”

Max nodded, though not entirely convinced it sounded reasonable enough.

“Okay, so why are these suits so… snug? It almost feels like I’m not wearing anything.”

Vanessa smirked and did a quick mid-air twirl.

“Well sweetie, that’s actually a cheeky feature I added for my costume. You should’ve seen your grandma’s; her suit had a tiara and a skirt… it was not flattering.”

“Ohh, I’m never gonna be able to un-think that. “

“Anyway, you know how we can’t be hurt. At least not by conventional means. Well after a little, ‘ _ahem’,_ shall we say, experimentation. I realized that materials in close proximity to our body’s don’t react to the environment, much in the same way as us. Why do you think our boots don’t melt when we run, and why our clothes didn’t freeze when we flew above the clouds?”

Max had never actually considered the scientific side of her gifts before. To where she was beginning to wonder why they hadn’t had this conversation before now.

“Well, what about this?”

Max pointed down to her chest, to the red and yellow shield emblem with the red letter ‘M’ right in the middle.

“What do you think of that actually? I didn’t know if you’d like it or not. I thought it was cute at the time, my little superhero, but now though I’m not so sure.”

“No No No, I like it, I do. But, isn’t the idea to hide who I am?”

“The ‘M’ could mean all sorts of things. Mighty. Mega. Marvel.”

“It could also stand for ‘Max’.”

Vanessa considered taking it back to be altered then and there when that thought came to mind, but Max was quick to intercede.

“Mom, it's fine really. If anything, it’ll distract from my face… not that I want people staring at my chest. Speaking of which, why is the material slightly thicker around the chest and… lower area?”

“Ahem, well the padding in your boots is to make you look taller. And as for the rest, weeellll~ Would you rather fly around with your nipples showing?”

Max blushed red and turned away.

“Again mom, Ewww. Besides, I’m wearing a bra under here.”

“I know sweetie, you can see the straps under the suit. Same with the… _ahehe_ , what did you call it? Lower area?”

“Oh great, so its either fly around commando, or risk someone seeing me and I look stupid.”

Vanessa flew over and put her arms around her daughter’s shoulders.

“Well think of it this way sweetheart, if you fly too fast and ‘certain parts’ of the suit get damaged thanks to the extra layer your wearing and it tears. Do you really wanna fly home with your underwear showing.”

“I’d rather not be seen period.”

“You and me both.”

The pair of them erupted into a fit of giggles. Floating there, high above the sea overlooking the bay, the absurdity of it all only made the pair laugh harder.

“Come on sweetie. Your dad’s calling us.”

“He is?”

Vanessa tapped her daughter's nose again.

“As I said, when you love someone as long as I have, you can hear them wherever they are.”

Vanessa embraced her daughter one last time, just as she had with her mother and her mother before that. An unbreakable bond passed down from mother to child.

“Happy ‘Early’ Birthday, Sweetheart.”

Max smiled and hugged back even tighter. Her mother, the only person she could truly embrace without fear of breaking.

“Best early birthday ever, Mom.”

The pair held hands and shot back toward the forest, rocketing over the stalwart lighthouse and beyond the leafy canopy of fir and pine. It really had been the best birthday ever, now she could fly as she pleased. The skies were her playground. She was beginning a new chapter of her life, starting today. And she felt closer to her family now more than ever before.

"Sweetheart?"

"Hmm?" Max murmured absentmindedly. 

"Every light down there is a person. We may be able to do things they can't, but I want you to remember..."

"Our gifts don't put us above anyone else, I remember."   

The two of them smiled and raced off into the night. Looking back as the flicking lights of Arcadia Bay disappeared beyond the horizon, Max wondered if one of those light belonged to Chloe. As Max caught sight of something red fluttering behind her, a thought occurred.

“Hey, mom?”

Max had to shout over the sounds of the world rushing by.

“Yeah, Sweetie?”

“Why do we wear capes?

Her mother grinned and gazed skyward with all the strength and grace of a lioness, cast against the pale moonlight, she looked akin to that of a Greek goddess.

“Because… Capes are fucking cool!”

And at that moment, Max had to agree.

**XXX**


	2. A Matter of Perspective

**XXX**

The upbeat high-flying harmonies of the Bee Gees engulfed Max’s world in a bubble of seventies melody.

The greyhound bus scheduled to arrive outside Blackwell Academy at Nine AM, had instead run afoul of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s laws regarding speeding, and had subsequently mounted a residential curb and struck a fire hydrant.

Suffice it to say, Max’s plans for a relaxing all-day lounge on the beach had been shot to hell in a handbasket. Her week of reacquainting herself to Arcadia Bay’s picturesque sensibility was already half over; most of her time until then had been spent either decorating or assembling her portfolio. Classes began the following Monday, and she would not face her idol, the ‘gorgeous’ Mark Jefferson, with a subpar showcase of her skills.

Considering most of Blackwell’s residents had yet to return from parts unknown, Max opted to capitalize on this temporary reprieve from social obligations, to partake in a little lounging on the beach before the first of the autumn chills rolled in. Max Caulfield, for the most part, had the run of the woman’s dorm. That in of itself had been a blessing; the pressure to make friends as well as carve out a niche for herself was causing Max no shortage of stress, so any real excuse to avoid the rigmarole of meeting new people earned a sigh of relief, even if she was only delaying the inevitable. She’d have to make at least one friend soon, or she’d fall into the swirling vortex this is ‘the resident friendless loner’ cliché. An upsetting prospect to be sure.

Max liked to think of herself as, deep down, a kind and compassionate soul, but when it came to meeting new people, the unbreakable girl was… afraid.

So much of her formative years had been spent in the company of her best friend, to where she’d never really needed anyone else. Her two pals back in Seattle might as well have stepped straight out of a ‘Mean Girls’ Esq teen comedy; Fernando had to be the campiest eccentric fellow Max had ever had the pleasure of sharing a wine bottle with. And Kristen, while she wore her anarchistic politics a tad too openly for Max’s liking, you couldn’t deny the girl was as loyal as they come.

Max missed her friends dearly… maybe this time around she’d have the nerves to call them before another five years passed her by. It felt like a lifetime since they’d spoken. No doubt Chloe would’ve loved them.

Then, of course, there was the proverbial elephant in the room.

Chloe Price.

Did she even go to Blackwell? The establishment didn’t exactly scream, ‘Loud and Proud’, Chloe’s M.O to a tee. Perhaps she’d opted for an out of town highschool? It’d be fantastic if the two of them could share a few classes together, Max had often pondered.

That is… if Chloe would even speak to her. Hell, Max thought, if Chloe slapped her or screamed at her, or anything, she’d deserve it. Because no amount of payback could make Max feel any worse than five years of silence, of being so scared that she couldn’t pick up a damn phone and talk to the girl who’d once held the title of Max’s ‘Favorite Person in the World’.

What could she say? What magic sequence of words could possibly make the last five years okay?

Max groaned and wrapped her arms around her waist, thanking her lucky stars that she was the only one waiting at the bus stop. Her occasional flares of anxiety always made her sick, worse still when she had an attack in public. Steadying her breathing, Max put a hand to her chest and mentally recited the mantra her mother had told her during many an episode.

_“Not even ‘you’ nor ‘I’ can hold the weight of the world alone.”_

She remembered hearing the story of the titan Atlas, a man cursed by the gods to forever hold the heavens upon his shoulders… Max never liked that story. The idea, that the universe is a punishment forced upon ‘lesser beings’ by the divine. That at any moment, one slip of Atlas’s mighty grip could send the universe crashing down upon us all.

Then her father had told her a similar story; This time, the hero Heracles, built two great pillars to hold the sky away from the earth and freed Atlas from his burden. Max much preferred this version, it meant that the weight of all things wasn’t a burden to bear alone and that the kindness of someone, even a stranger, could change someone’s life for the better.

Falling back into her seat, Max calmed herself through labored breaths, while far from the worst attack she’d endured in recent memory, the burning sensation in her chest persisted, a reminder of just how alone she really was, so far from home.

Reaching into her pocket, Max pulled out her phone. Sure enough, the bus service was canceled for at least an hour until a replacement could be dispatched. Not that Max needed the update. All she had to do was listen and stare beyond the many buildings, roads and other such rural décor to the sight of an irate bus driving protesting his speeding ticket whilst soaked workman rushed to repair the gushing hydrant.

Undeterred and somewhat amused at the sight, Max had an idea. She couldn’t very well rush back, change into her suit and fly to the beach. Where could she change and hide the suit when she got there? Plus, her shoes would melt if she ran as-is.

But, if she took off her shoes, and moved at ‘her speed’ no one would be any the wiser.

It was a risk to be sure. There was always the chance some ‘Johnny-Shutterbug’ could escape her super-hearing and snap a pic of the super speedster, or a hidden security camera might catch something incriminating. But such thoughts were belayed by a little trick she’d been taught, should the need arise for a quick escape.

Cautious eyes darting back and forth like a meerkat on the savannah, Max swiftly slipped off her shoes, wincing as her bare feet touched concrete. Not that it hurt mind, but in Max’s world, she considered this ‘daring’.

As she held her shoes close, ready to make a run for it, a thought occurred.

Damning her own lack of forethought, she removed the glasses from her face and slipped them inside one of her shoes. Max wasn’t entirely sure if her eyes were as durable as the rest of her, but she was far from eager to test whether glass in her eyes would actually hurt.

**XXX**

Certain the coast was clear, Max allowed her concentration to slip; Before her eyes, a bee hovering over a flower jutting out of the sidewalk froze in mid-flight. The unquantifiable blast of noises she endured day after agonizing day, dulled to little more than a slow hum.

Smiling as the threat of being seen lessened to a pointless degree, Max added a little skip to her step as she left the bus stop and walked at a brisk pace down the street.

The hyper-accelerated state was truly a physicist’s wet dream. Max observed in her usual quiet contemplation how even the fundamentals of nature escaped her. She felt no opposing force, despite from an outsider’s perspective, her moving at a fantastic speed that rendered her little more than a blur to the common eye. Absentmindedly looking down at her bag and shoes, clutched tightly in her arms against her chest, she noted with a degree of intrigue how the fabric and lining of the items stretched at the mercy of the opposing friction.

Her skin-tight jeans faced no such issue, though her loose grey hoodie fluttering behind her in abject protest, bore the brunt of her abilities. No doubt if she were to break into an actual run in this state, or a full-on sprint, the force would’ve torn the thing to shreds, as well as cause a sonic boom if or rather ‘when’ she broke the sound barrier. A feat she’d sworn never to attempt, a mother’s promise, especially her mother, was not one to be taken lightly.

As Max rounded the corner of main street toward Arcadia Bay’s central shopping district, she observed with an artistic gleam in her eye, the various comings and goings of the townsfolk going about their day. A gentleman placing his toddler in the backseat of a minivan. Two elderly ladies smiling and likely exchanging quips as they exited a thrift store. A shaggy-haired teen immersed in a banana milkshake, while an Asian girl gazed longingly at him across a table. Everything moving so slow, she’d swear she’d stepped inside a photograph, free to examine in greater detail beyond the borders of her camera lens. If only her polaroid, or really any camera, could work at such a speed. Her portfolio would never want for new material.

But wasn’t that what made photography so wonderful? A moment isn’t truly special if one has all the time in the world to find the perfect angle and lighting. A moment isn’t truly special until it becomes a memory, and to be able to convey that through a captured moment in time, is a photographer’s gift to the world.

Life isn’t measured by the breathes we make, but the moments that take our breath away.

**XXX**

The sun hung perfectly in the center of the sky, between the two adjacent cliffs that framed the titular ‘Bay’. It was a gorgeous sight to see; had this been Seattle, the crowds would’ve no doubt stretched far as the eye could see, but in Arcadia, Max found she had an entire stretch of beach all to herself. Grinding to a halt, bracing herself as the wind, carried by her movements, thundered past rattling a few long fence panels partially buried in the sand. Immediately Max sped behind a nearby tree and listened out for any would-be lookie-loos, finding none, at least none that were aware of her sudden appearance, she walked at a normal pace the rest of the way.

Breaking from the small patch of woodland, Max emerged into an open parking lot adjacent to the beach, vacant except for one particularly beat-up looking mobile home parked off in the corner. Indulging her nosy side for a brief moment, as well as the overly cautious voice in her head, Max peered through the rusting metal of the RV, beyond its unkempt interior to the other side. A grizzled man layback in a folding chair near the door and snoring like a saw through lumber, a little brown dog slept curled up at his master’s heels.

Content that the man in question was none the wiser… to either her or the world around him if the three empty beer bottles littering the pavement were any indication, Max breathed in the warm breeze as it ran its invisible fingers through her soft hair. Strolling over and reveling at the feeling of sand between her toes.

She couldn’t handle the beaches in Seattle. The stench of the surf and thick oily suntan lotion enflamed her hyper-sensitive nose, and the near-constant screaming of people enjoying the weather was difficult to block-out (more so than the inner city she called home).

But here in Arcadia Bay, it felt different. The air smelled cleaner. The sound of coastal songbirds joined the melodic rhythm of the surf in a hypnotic choir. And the warm sun soothed her frazzled nerves.

If she could capture this feeling in a photograph, she would.

Strolling a ways down the beach, Max found a cozy spot to relax and dropped her bag and shoes. Setting down her hoodie as a makeshift blanket, Max slipped her jeans off revealing the black one-piece swimsuit underneath. Not that she had any intention of swimming, but she’d never really been able to stomach the beach for more than an hour and had never actually had the chance to wear it. Kicking back on her hoodie and watching tide gently roll in and out, she thought about how this town would make the perfect setting for a story.

Everything so peaceful and serene; not once had she heard the wail of a speeding police cruiser or a barely hushed domestic dispute.

Arcadia Bay: Max’s little slice of paradise.

**XXX**

Across town, a beat-up pick-up truck swerved across a four-way intersection narrowly avoiding a collision with two oncoming cars, and a repair truck towing a broken-down greyhound bus.

The owner of said pick-up rolled down the window and tossed up her middle finger as she passed to a volley of swears and blaring car horns. Grinning as an irate Italian staggered out of his car shaking his fist, _“Damn it, Price! Ya old man’s gonna hear about this!”._

Chloe cranked up the volume on her stereo to the max, blasting the shredding guitars of _Paramore’s ‘That’s What You Get’_ at full blast.

A white Labrador Retriever stuck its head out the passenger side window and nipped at the air rushing past.

“Heads stay in the truck, boy.”

The dog barked excitedly and lay back across the seat, resting its head on his master’s lap.

“ _Heh._ Look at you, crazy dog. Nerves of steel.”

The girl absentmindedly scratched behind her dog’s ears; her search across town had yielded diddly-squat and her options were winding down. There was always the Blackwell parking lot, although, given the elitist school’s current faculty, it was hardly her destination of choice.

There was still one place she could check.

“What d’ya say, boy? Wanna go to the beach?”

A happy bark was her only response.

Chloe turned down from main street through the promenade; seemed every day the crap-hole town found a way to get even crappier. Some old geezer was fighting a losing battle trying to get his screaming brat into what was probably his wife’s minivan. These two shriveled old harpies, frequent bad tippers from her mom’s diner, were spouting racial slurs about the Indian guy running the thrift store. And to her amusement, once again Brooke Scott’s continued hinting at Warren Graham for a date, crashed and burned like the Hindenburg on smokers’ pride night. That guy just could not get a clue.

After a monotonous drive down the coast, the whole time praying no police officers would call her out on her unpaid parking tickets, Chloe pulled up in an almost empty parking lot. Sure enough, there was Frank’s crap-mobile. Her whole morning had been shot to hell trying to track him down; the infamous town drug dealer had a million different hangouts throughout the town, and Chloe had been up since six in the ‘goddamn’ morning checking every one.

Though it wasn’t like she had anywhere better to be.

_‘Ah, the glamorous life of a high school dropout.’_ Chloe mused. Running her eyes over the chipped paintwork and worn tires, her cynical side foresaw a similarly dented RV and a rusty syringe in her future. Smelled like… regret.  

Chloe sighed and ran a hand through her blue-dyed hair, she didn’t have time for self-loathing, she could do that anytime, for now, she had questions that needed answers.

The dog sniffed at Chloe’s face and licked her cheek.

He was a good dog.

Chloe laughed and hugged her dog stroking his silly head. He always knew when she needed cheering up.

“Come on, boy. Let’s go see what Frank N’ Furter wants.”

Frank was in a sorry state, more so than usual for a Wednesday, not even midday and already dead to the world if the beer bottles and pungent stench of pot was any indication.

Chloe’s dog bounded over and started licking at Frank’s dog. Cleary aggravated by such a rude awakening, he yipped in protest, jostling Frank from his self-induced coma. Chloe smirked and tapped her hip, her dog swiftly returned to her side.

“Good morning, starshine. The earth says ‘Hello’.”

“Fuck. Off. Price!”

Frank tried to stand up, but the world around him took on a much hazier sheen than he remembered and was forced back into his seat, lest he redecorate the pavement with his breakfast.

“What’s the matter, Frank? Weight of the world gotcha down?”

“You’re massive ‘fuck off’ debt is weighin’ me down! Speakin’ of which…”

“I don’t have your money yet, but I’m gonna…”

“Then why are you wasting my goddamn time?!”

Chloe reached into her pocket and pulled out a plum-sized rock with a slip of paper attached. Red letters spelled out ‘ _Money Now!’._

“This came through my fucking window this morning, Frank!”

“Well you weren’t answering my text’s, so I thought I’d send you a letter.”

“Through my fucking window?!”

“What? It was open.”

“You broke my lamp!”

Frank’s dog snarled at Chloe whilst Chloe’s dog just looked confused.

“Pompidou. Down!”

Frank’s dog obeyed and returned to the floor, panting as he looked up expectantly at his master.

“What kinda name is ‘Pompidou’?”

“Like you’re one to talk.”

Frank retrieved a bone-shaped biscuit from his pocket and broke it in half, dropping one to his dog, which Pompidou happily snapped up. Through his haze Frank found the wherewithal to whistle for Chloe’s dog, brandishing the biscuit piece.

“Come here, boy.”

Chloe’s dog didn’t think twice, all he knew was, he wanted that biscuit. Without a second thought, he ran over and sat obediently, his gold-colored identity collar glinting in the sun. Chloe shook her head and silently mouthed the word _‘Traitor’,_ which got a laugh out of Frank. The dog ate the biscuit and got a pat on the head before running back to his master, a slobbery grin plastered across his doggie face that screamed, _‘Look at me, Master. I got a biscuit, I’m a good boy.”_

“Who the hell names their dog ‘Krypto’ anyway?”

Chloe knelt and ruffled her dog's silly face.

“What? It was the name on his cage at the dog fights…”

“Hey! We do not talk about that in public, got it?!”

Both Chloe and the dogs were startled by that; Frank’s outbursts had been on the rise in recent memory, and as far as Chloe and her dog were concerned, that meant keeping him at arm’s length.

Two years ago, she’d helped the man free a bunch of fight dogs from a shady storage lockup on the outskirts of town, and one of the puppies had stuck to her like glue ever since, though he was far from a puppy now… more like a big kid. For that alone, she could give Frank’s temperament a pass.

“Alright, okay. But it’s true though, it was written on his little doggie cage.”

“It was on all the cages, Price. They were gonna be sold in exchange for cryptocurrency online. And ‘Krypto’ is spelled wrong.”

“I know, I improved it.”

“You’re the salt of the earth, Price.”

Chloe wiped the sweat from her brow. The sun was really doing its job, looking out across the parking lot, the heat could be seen rising from the scorched sands. Now was not the time to talk about salt.

“Anyway, my shithole step-douche stole my phone.”

“I’m crying inside for ya, Price. I really am. But I can’t sell and buy with a sob story! Where’s my fuckin’ money?!”

“I’m trying, Frank! B-but without Rachel, I…”

“Yeah yeah, I’ve heard this same song a thousand times. Rachel stole the money and cut and run.”

“She did not!”

“Dropped ya faster than a shit from heaven…”

“Shut. The. Fuck…”

“No, you shut the fuck up, Price!” Frank shot to his feet before stumbling back under the sudden weight of his head, collapsing into his seat and fanning his face. “Ugh, fuck me it’s hot… Face it, Price, Rachel got outta this shitty town first chance she got. Used us both and spat us out.”

Chloe scrunched her eyes closed to hold her tears back; Krypto whined at the sight of his master upset, by instinct he leaned up and gently licked her hand.

“You don’t know Rachel… she…”

Frank smirked and pulled a cigarette and a match from his inside pocket, striking the match against the ground and lightning up.

“You’re the one who doesn’t know Rachel. She’s a user. It’s what she does. You two had your fun, and if ‘you’ thought there was something ‘more’ there, then that’s on you. But Rachel got hers and the fantasy’s over!” Frank took a long drag and blew a smoke ring in Chloe’s direction. “Welcome back to the real world, Price. Shitty as it may be, ‘you’ borrowed the money, so ‘you’ gotta pay!”

“S-she loves me!”

“She loves… allot of things. She’s good like that. But she loves herself more, above all else, Rachel Amber loves Rachel Amber!” Frank took another puff, staring vacantly out across the ocean, absentmindedly stroking his dogs head. Behind his blackened eyes and vacant stare, Chloe could swear she saw signs of something more. Could it be sorrow? Of that, she wasn’t entirely sure. Frank continued, “She used you, kinda like how you ‘both’ used me. So, I’ll ask you again… Where’s. My. Fucking. Money!”

“I’ve got two-hundred…”

“Three-Thousand, Price! And I want it all back! No more chances, no more excuses! Next time I see you, I’m collecting in full.”

“Is that a threat?!”

“… Yeah, it is.” Although Frank didn’t sound so sure.

Chloe didn’t say another word, she simply turned on her heels and speed-walked back to her truck, stopping briefly to help Krypto in the passenger side. Out of sight of Frank, Chloe slammed her head down on the steering wheel and finally let the tears fall.

Krypton whimpered, the loyal dog didn’t like it when his master cried, he loved his master and it was his job to make her happy. Slowly crawling over to Chloe, Krypto placed his head on his master’s chest and breathed, taking her by surprise, though she was quick to embrace her canine friend. Gradually Chloe’s rapid breathing slowed to intermittent whimpers. Smiling through the pain, Chloe stroked her dog and kissed his head.

“At least you still love me.” Krypto panted and licked his master’s chin. “Good boy... Let’s go home.”

And he was a good boy, a very good boy indeed.

**XXX**


End file.
